THE CATOWA

Pictured here is the Falmouth Tug-of-War Team from Falmouth, Nova Scotia
Photo by Shirley L. Spencer

Throughout the 1980's, the Men's Tug-of-War Team from Falmouth, Nova Scotia were the dominant players in competitions in the maritime provinces.

A small rural village in west central Nova Scotia, on the Avon River, Falmouth lies just 3.1 km west of the town of Windsor.

In a variation of the sport going back nearly two and a half centuries, the style which features the use of the "Back-lock", bears a resemblance to an ancient Celtic form popular in Scotland centuries ago which was brought to the new world in the 1700's by Scottish immigrants.

Under the leadership and coaching of Carleton Schofield (front row, fourth from the left), this team won the Maritimes Tug-of-War Championships (1700 lb.) on six straight occasions. Of the 106 pulls in which the team competed during that time, they had an impressive 88 wins and just 18 losses.

The many successes of the Falmouth Team of the 1980's continued through the 1990's to the present day. Indeed, the 2003 edition of the team had a chance to tie the "six consecutive year" record achieved during the 1980's but missed that opportunity when they were upset by the team from Fundy at the Maritime Championships in Windsor in September.

One thing for sure is that the Falmouth team will be working hard to restore their reputation as "the team to beat" in 2004 and will be planning strategies to elevate them once again to the coveted position of "Maritimes Tug-of-War Champions".

Falmouth Team Maritime Champions During the 1980's